


Read my Heart

by tennshiii



Category: ARGONAVIS from BanG Dream! AAside (Video Game)
Genre: Bandori cameos, Bookstores, College, Crossover, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Relationship, alternate first meeting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:07:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25144396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tennshiii/pseuds/tennshiii
Summary: “Name?”Ren was stunned. Customers didn’t usually ask for his name; they just jumped straight to asking about the bookshop owners...
Relationships: Asahi Nayuta/Nanahoshi Ren
Comments: 9
Kudos: 75





	Read my Heart

Dust motes floated lazily in the late afternoon sunlight, and the smell of paper, ink and mildew filled the air. Space Bookstore was unusually quiet that day; Ren had the place all to himself since the owners left for a camping trip with their former bandmates. He was restocking the bookshelves when he heard the tinkling of wind chimes, signaling the arrival of a customer. 

“Welcome!” He smiled and greeted the platinum-haired guy clad in an olive green coat. The newcomer just glanced at him dismissively, shoved his hands in his pockets and headed to the furthest row of shelves. Ren wasn’t one to judge. Perhaps the customer was just having a bad day, or maybe he’s simply not good at dealing with other people.

“Just let me know if you need anything!” Ren called out. He busied himself with his shop duties, rearranging and dusting the bookshelves, and began singing his band’s new song unconsciously. 

Nayuta, the customer, did a double take. That voice… It’s very distracting.

He did his best to ignore the shopkeeper’s voice and browse the available books. One of his bandmates recommended that he check out Space for scores. Their stocks were impressive, however he couldn’t find the book he wanted the most. At least that would give him the excuse to talk with the shopkeeper. 

_What the fuck? Why do I even want to approach him?_

Nayuta glared at the oblivious blue-haired boy. He told himself that there were only two things he should focus on, Gyroaxia and his law degree. But this guy…

_Tch, whatever._

He trudged towards the other boy and cleared his throat to get his attention.  
“Hmm? Oh, sorry, I got lost in thought.” Ren gave a sheepish smile as he scratched the back of his head. 

Nayuta stared at him intensely. He never felt like this before, the cat got his tongue.

“Right! I mentioned earlier to just approach me when you need something!” Ren gave a nervous chuckle. There’s really something about this guy. His presence makes his chest hurt. 

“I’m looking for Roselia’s limited edition band score.” 

“Oh! Our last two copies were just sold last week! But I’ll try to get another copy for you. Just write your contact details here.” Ren retrieved a blank piece of paper from one of the drawers.

Nayuta quickly wrote his name and email and handed the paper to the other boy.

“Name?” 

Ren was stunned. Customers didn’t usually ask for his name; they just jumped straight to asking about the bookshop owners, Toyama-san and Ichigaya-san, former members of the famous band, Poppin’ Party.

“N-nanahoshi Ren.” He mumbled. 

“Nanahoshi… I’ll be back.”

_

The next day proved bright and beautiful, but Ren didn’t notice the gorgeous scenery he passed hurriedly. He was gasping for air as he opened the classroom’s door. He was running late since he overslept from writing new lyrics with Wataru, his band’s bassist and main lyricist. He was about to walk toward his seat, but someone else took it. Ren pouted at the result of his lateness, but he barely had time to dwell on his disappointment before the professor entered the classroom. He scanned the large room and luckily spotted a vacant seat beside a guy with a mop of platinum hair. 

“Is this seat taken?” 

Nayuta looked up from his notes. His classmates avoided him most of the time because they find him too intimidating or arrogant. Just who was this idiot who wanted to sit next to him?

“No.”

“Nayuta-kun!” Ren said in recognition, his face lighting up as he realized that he would be sitting next to someone familiar. 

_

Nayuta was used to spending time alone in his college. His group may be gaining popularity because of their music skill, but he didn’t have a warm and welcoming personality, which led to his fellow students steering clear of his way. 

But then there’s Nanahoshi Ren, who seems to be completely oblivious of his strong presence. 

Nayuta didn’t normally allow people to drag him along. He immediately turns them down, and goes his own way. But for some reason, he said yes to Ren’s lunch invitation and they’re now on the way to the blue-haired boy’s favorite burger place. He won’t say it aloud, but he’s not immune to Ren’s adorable pleading face. How can anyone resist that?

As the two walked down a spacious hallway, they didn’t notice the other pair of students advancing towards them.

“Nayuta, you haven’t introduced me yet to your new friend.” A tall red-haired student with glasses smirked at the pair of law majors. 

“Ren, you know him?” The other student’s shorter companion asked in surprise.

The university is wide enough for Nayuta to avoid frequent encounters with his bandmates; Satozuka rarely even visits this part of the school. He eyed Gyroaxia’s leader suspiciously.

“Wataru-kun! Nayuta-kun visited the shop yesterday, I just found out earlier that we’re in the same college.” Ren happily explained. 

“It’s nice to see that you’re getting along.” Kenta smiled wider. 

“Satozuka, get out of my way.” The vocalist demanded and grabbed Ren’s wrist, striding to the direction of the burger place.

“Wait, who’s that?” Ren was still looking back at Wataru and his companion.

“No one important.” Nayuta said firmly, refusing to entertain any more questions from Ren.

_

Ren’s college days became brighter when he met Argonavis, joining the band changed his life and introduced him to more opportunities to deepen his knowledge in music. He even met two former members of Poppin’ Party in one of their lives, who offered him a part time job in their independent bookstore. 

It’s fun to watch Toyama-san’s and Ichigaya-san’s antics as they manage the shop together. Sometimes when no one’s around, Toyama-san brings out her star-shaped electric guitar and plays some tunes. She also ropes in Ichigaya-san to her performance and convinces her to play her keytar. 

One night, a call interrupted their jamming session. One of their friends from the other bands invited them to go on a camping trip and Toyama-san automatically accepted the invite. 

Ren recognized the speaker on the other end, “Tsurumaki-san?” He asked.

“Yep! Kokoron never runs out of fun and crazy ideas!” Toyama-san laughed, absolutely giddy for the trip.

Ichigaya-san sighed and shook her head. She’s the more grounded of the two owners. She may look like she scolds Toyama-san a lot, but she deeply cares. 

Ren was already very thankful of Argonavis. He’s glad that he met Wataru and Yuto through karaoke, and that they persuaded Rio and Banri to join them too. They already performed in various stages together, but wouldn’t it be great for his world to become bigger? Like how Toyama-san and Ichigaya-san talked about their friends from other bands: Roselia, Raise a Suilen, Morfonica, Afterglow, Hello Happy World, and Pastel Palettes. 

Ren wanted to meet more people, discover their music, learn from them and befriend them.

Little did he know that he will be introduced to someone on the first day of the owners’ camping trip.

_ 

It was purely coincidence. Ren didn’t expect to see Nayuta after work hours. They had spent a lot of time with each other lately, both finding out that they share many classes together. It only seemed convenient to also review their coursework together, and even go to lunch together. Nayuta never brought up the book he was searching for when Ren wasn’t at work. He just visits the bookstore once in a few days to follow up on the said book.

Nayuta wasn’t a talkative type, far from it. Ren respects that; he can wait for him to open up more about his life. But it still came as a huge shock to him to see Nayuta onstage that one night.

A university organization decided to hold a fundraising party to generate funds for their chosen charity, and it just so happened that Nayuta’s band and his were both requested to perform. Gyroaxia and Argonavis grabbed the chance. 

“Hello, onii-san.” Wataru greeted the taller red-haired boy. Ren forgot about their encounter days ago. He tried asking Nayuta about the identity of the other guy, but it also slipped his mind to ask Wataru himself. Ren felt stupid, but it doesn’t really matter now. 

“It’s time.” Nayuta declared, and nodded at Ren in acknowledgement.

Gyroaxia stepped on the stage. 

_

“Wake me up, wake me up from this world suffused with sorrow.  
Don’t need to keep on closing my eyes.  
Let’s go berserk with Fate.  
Raise me up, breakin’ down  
I will change the future and shoot through it  
The reverberations begin now--  
My revolution!”

Ren couldn’t take his eyes off of him. All this time he just saw Nayuta as a potential close friend and fellow music-lover, but he had absolutely no idea that he’s also a vocalist of such an awesome band.  
The band members were drenched in red lights, giving them an air of power. Ren surrendered himself to Gyroaxia’s sound. It was filled with so much rebellion and strength. It was relentless and razor-sharp. It made his heart beat so fast, his vision blurring at the edges—just focusing on Gyroaxia, and especially on Nayuta. 

_Nayuta-kun, Nayuta-kun, Nayuta-kun…_  
In his mind, he chanted his name like a litany. 

“Amazing.” Ren gasped in wonder.

“Come take my hand, and just follow me.  
Burn away the boredom that I get sick of hearing  
And scream!”

 _When did Nayuta-kun become this irresistible?_  
_

Argonavis confronted the fact that they still have a long way to go after watching Gyroaxia’s performance, but that didn’t stop them from doing their best onstage.

Ren was filled with a lot of nervous energy, but he was also very excited to serenade the crowd. 

“Walking past the faraway road, for you too  
The day it began by a single step

Even a faint light can be turned into strength  
The time (we set sail) is drawing closer”

Argonavis may not sound as intense and aggressive as Gyroaxia, yet that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re lagging too far behind. Argonavis had their own unique sound, a combination of sweet, sentimental, and upbeat. Nayuta couldn’t bring himself to tell Ren yet, but listening to Argonavis was like getting lost in a sea of stars. Their melody was filled with so much light and hope. Ren’s voice surrounded him, evoking a warm atmosphere, as if assuring him that he wouldn’t feel alone anymore.

Nayuta crushed the cup of coffee in his hand.

_What is this?! What am I feeling?!_

His other band members shared knowing looks as they noticed their vocalist’s provoked state.  
_

Nayuta entered Space Bookstore for the upteenth time, but this time he caught Ren singing one of his band’s songs. He didn’t mind it at all. He actually liked it. He couldn’t help but smile at the scene in front of him.

“Nayuta-kun!” Ren snapped out of his reverie and bounded towards him.

“The shop finally restocked the limited edition you requested!” Ren unconsciously hugged the other student because of his overwhelming excitement.

Nayuta at first, stood frozen, startled by the blue-haired boy’s sudden action, however it wasn’t unwelcome. He avoided Ren’s gaze and tried to hide his expression from him. 

“S-sorry! I’m so sorry! I got carried away, I was just really happy to find the book.” Ren immediately stepped back with an apparent blush dusting his cheeks; he proceeded to bow in apology.

“It’s fine, actually I already ordered the book online a few days ago…” Nayuta trailed off.

“Huh?” Ren was confused.

“If you found the book days ago… then why did you still keep coming back here?” He tilted his head. “Not that I mind, Nayuta-kun!” 

“I… Uhh…” Nayuta stared at him dumbfoundedly. “I guess I just wanted to have a valid reason to see you.” He mumbled.

“I couldn’t catch that, um, can you repeat what you said?” Ren asked innocently.

“Nothing! It’s not important!” Nayuta turned away from Ren. He finds it difficult to be truthful at times.

Unknown to the two, one of the shop owners was observing them from outside the store. She just finished a call with a supplier and was about to head back inside. She tried to figure out whether her presence will be too much of an intrusion to the boys’ interaction.

The shop’s door creaked open, letting the older woman in. 

“Am I interrupting something?” She questions them with an amused tone in her voice.

The two college students stared at her speechlessly, as if caught red-handed doing something they shouldn’t in a bookstore. 

“Ren-kun, I’ll finish up today. You did well in managing the shop when Arisa-chan and I went on our camping trip! Go ahead and go out with your friend!” The brunette shop owner insisted on ushering them out.

_

The two gazed at each other wordlessly outside the shop, unsure of what to do next. 

After a couple of moments, Nayuta gathered the courage to break the ice.

“I actually don’t have practice today, and I also finished our class assignments so…”

“Hmm? I don’t have practice too, and I’m free this afternoon.” Ren looked up at him from under his lashes, reluctant to face him properly after that embarrassing hug earlier.

“You love karaoke, right? If we can’t practice with our bands, we’ll practice together.” 

_This is definitely not a date. Not at all. Not a tinge of romance._

Rarely does Nayuta ever slip, but instead of grabbing Ren’s wrist to lead him, he unknowingly holds his hand. Ren gasped at the contact. Nayuta noticed what he had done; he took a deep breath and determinedly looked straight into Ren’s eyes. His expression softened, and this time, he gave him a real smile. 

“Let’s go.”

**Author's Note:**

> My first Nayuren fic! I really tried to keep Nayuta in character as much as possible (I may have projected a lot, forgive me). Fangirl with me on twitter @tennshiii


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